If You Don't Practice This Way, You’ll Never Get Better!

[@JETallacksen]

I've always been told, "to get faster, you gotta get slower." What a fantastic video! Thanks for this!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thanks for watching, I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@darrenbizzell3822]

@@JETallacksen . Combine your skills.? Nothing is wrong, and nothing is right. It’s You!!!

[@JETallacksen]

@@darrenbizzell3822 Are you sure you replied to the right comment?

[@whatilearnttoday5295]

It's not so much the slowness itself which gives the benefit, it's the attention. Focused attention on the sound and the feeling of the strings under your fingers. Playing slow helps to give the brain time to really pay attention to the detail. A notepad with TODO list helps with attacking weaknesses and progressing day by day.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Excellent point!

[@briman5206]

YES TAKE NOTES!! All great successful people do, you HAVE to have notes and written goals and tasks....

[@vesuviusenigma7739]

My Taekwondo grandmaster used to tell me in training, "slow is smooth and smooth is speed

[@michaelstump6933]

Your excruciatingly slow is my impossibly fast... for now... Great video!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Love the "For Now"! That's the right attitude! Thanks for the support

[@shugemery]

This was exactly what I need today....someone else to tell me to goooooo slooooow. Was a nice morning practice just going slow oh so slow.. Thankee Lorin.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Wonderful!

[@craigashmeade9091]

You are so right. This gives me a new boost! Thank you so much!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Happy to help! Thx for the support

[@TedTalksBass]

I had to play the Eccles Sonnata for my senior recital. You know that 4th movement,,, I looked at that thing like "ain't no way I'm ever playing that not ever." But you're right... practicing it slow, deliberately made the world of difference!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Man that last movement is a BEAST!

[@TedTalksBass]

@@LorinCohenBassist​​⁠bruh….like for real. I almost told my teacher “you oucho mind” 😂 But I needed to get that paper lol

[@milhamdabungu7576]

Great video. Your voice is so good, I think you should make money in voice-overs too ❤

[@LorinCohenBassist]

You're too kind - thank you!🙏

[@ricklasley1166]

patents and determination ....simply put

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@MrPrincebass99]

Great lesson and words of wisdom. The Muriel Method. I used the sloooowww practice routine (😆) to learn Aja...probably 15 years ago and it has stuck with me ever since. It works. Thanks, Lorin.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Cool! Thx for sharing!

[@1234drums]

Great wisdom shared, ty ❤

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@Good13man]

Great tips!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Glad to be helpful! Thx for the support

[@TammyZawada]

Thank you Lorin, great video! I do practice a lot, everyday, but I'm not as systematic at attacking my weaknesses and practicing super slow. These are great tips. Cheers!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Awesome, glad you found this helpful! Attack those weaknesses first and use "The Muriel Method" as I explain in the video, and you can play anything.

[@JooSMusic]

Thanks for sharing these simple but yet powerful tips. I am struggling with improvising through chord changes.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thx for watching! Feel free to to schedule a call with me via the link in the description. Improv through changes is my specialty

[@Akwilliams_97]

Great info. I graduated with a trombone performance degree and am having to remind myself of the process after deciding to teach myself bass. Thanks!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

@@Akwilliams_97 cool! Thx for the support!

[@johnmcminn9455]

I agree about slow but i want to say this on pick style guitar we are taught alternate pick, on classical there is the " rest stroke which is like a pause and snap with the fingers, when done with a pick that would be 2 up picks in a row . Playing slow then up to tempo allows you to come up with different picking strategies. In a similar way, figuring out fingerings by stopping and knowing the notes in a sequence and their exact interval to the root of the mode you are in also allows you to decide which fingering you find most efficient for the feel of the tune you are playing. So by knowing the notes you can start with the middle finger or the last finger and go from there

[@LorinCohenBassist]

@@johnmcminn9455 👍

[@TheBombshelterBassSpace-gj9tw]

Another awesome video and great advice. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Same approach in martial arts! Love it

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Glad you liked it! Same concepts apply to everything!

[@jordanklemonsjazzguitar]

Great video!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thx brother!

[@robertbarwick6197]

For me it's about my " Timing".

[@LorinCohenBassist]

You’re not alone! Focus on synchronizing both hands. Check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYDLkJV-bceae5Isi=nj5cFPT--1aAsl6q

[@docabj8097]

This is great content! Ah yes, the portable "Truth Machine" is scary but definitely helpful if you keep the right attitude about failing forward!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Failing forward is the only way forward! Thx for the kind words of support!

[@ericburd]

if you can't play it slow, you can't play it fast...My first instructor 40 yrs ago Ed Soph used to say....i can still hear him say it

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍🙌

[@WhatJeanWants]

Pure gems of advice!! Thank you!!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thx for the support!

[@geoffstokes]

What great advice. I never thought of that before.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thanks!

[@ThomasLuongo]

This is a plan for any instrument in general. Slow it down. Build it up. I take this approach when I practice the drums because I have no ego with the drums... because I was a bassist first. When I play the bass, I think, "Hell, I know this!" and practice way too fast now, because my chops have fallen off over the years. Good lesson. Thanks. Will go back to this. Just bought my first fretless, a set of skills I don't have... so, for once, I can thank the YT algorithm for recommending this video. Mahalo!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Glad I could be of help. Let's get those fretless chops locked in! Thx for the support ❤️

[@ThomasLuongo]

@@LorinCohenBassist It'll be a big struggle, but I think my playing has evolved into a fretless style but I've been too chickenshit to buy a fretless until now. So, here goes jumping off the cliff! All the best.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

@ you got this!

[@schmiertoast7184]

you pointed out a big Problem there, i had the same thing.. after playing for 4 years you think to yourself "im already playing for 4 years this should be no problem for me" and you play things way too fast or sloppy or get demotivated if something doesnt work first try even though you didnt put time in it

[@LorinCohenBassist]

@@schmiertoast7184 yep-we need to constantly remind ourselves!

[@joannalewis5279]

Slow is great advice

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@metatronicx]

Excellent advices

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thanks for watching!

[@BrickTop70]

I've found out on my own a while back that I needed to play really really very slow to get faster and better

[@LorinCohenBassist]

The only way 👍

[@bradami1234]

Well i need to work on everything..but i pretty new or newer. Sooo.. playing slow is probably my thing i want to play fast.. thanks for the video

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thx for the support and slow is the way to go!

[@pl566]

Really good video! Thanks.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Glad you liked it!

[@Grumdot]

The Bain of my existence is sight reading. The second problem is speed (example, that riff in Stevie Wonders Do I Do.)

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍 stay tuned- I’m working on developing some materials for reading. The only way to speed is “ELP” excruciatingly slow practice 😀😀

[@paolozak3014]

Oh yes, so right ! Do you have a video that shows how to / not to rush / drag ?

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Yep check this out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hniapndjn8lpl68si=X3zrzjYvbQy-I4qT

[@paolozak3014]

@ ok but still, it does not show the rush and drag thing. How to deliberately play on the beat, behind the beat or in front of the beat. All 3 are interesting, the first being « correct » but the 2 others good for giving a sense of relaxed laidbackness or frantic urgency.

[@graphicmaterial5947]

Alternate plucking over string changes is a huge one for me. I tend to rake all the time and that works up to a certain speed and then I hit the wall, so to speak. That's my weakness.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thanks for watching and for the comment! Yes, right hand "stuff" is generally where most of our technical problems come from. This video might be helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3yqXqiHZ7Wdeac

[@darrenbizzell3822]

yes, You can play standard slow, but flying fingers also to used for a different effect , combine both...

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@darrenbizzell3822]

There are too many people, that playing an instrument,is a gift from God!

[@BRIDGEJazz]

Well-timed. I just restarted a transcription today. My weakness, though, is memorizing songs.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@mikeburkhart9636]

Mine too.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

@ use your ear first. Let the melody be your guide and see how far you can get just by playing along with the recording before using the PDF. You’ll be surprised how far you can go BEFORE looking at the chart

[@BRIDGEJazz]

@@LorinCohenBassist ...yeah that's what tends to happen, especially with standards. The less I think, the better it goes.

[@michaelanderson4265]

Excellent video..!!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thanks! 🙏

[@TedTalksBass]

Funk yes, Lorin!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thank you bass brother!!

[@illusionvii]

Thanks for the tips! Also, what bass are you using? Ive been contemplating gettting a 5 string.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

You bet! This is an Overwater bass made in the UK. Highly recommended!

[@ziggysartstudio7266]

I need to work on my timing. That whole one and a two and a three.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

That’s important stuff!

[@rogermichou8654]

Go as slow as you need to play your part SMOOTHLY and in time, and then increment BPM by 5 or 10, until you don't play smoothly or in time anymore, then reduce BPM by 20 and so forth

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@mbarkevich]

I need to work on ghost notes with slap

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thx for the comment! I’m not a “slapper” but I’m sure some SUPER SLOW practice will lock it in

[@unclemick-synths]

I would add to never phone in your practice. Even with humble scales I try to always play expressively and in the pocket. My practice problem is I love the sound of my bass and before I know it I spent the whole time having fun, not working on the things I intended! 🙄

[@LorinCohenBassist]

That’s the struggle! 😅

[@marcgreene6343]

I feel my greatest weakness is my rhythmic vocabulary. I have good time and groove, but get stuck in the same rhythmic patterns.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thanks for the comment! Take a solo where you love the rhythmic vocabulary and transcribe it👍

[@russellcarter9842]

Great tip thanks. Unless I already know the song, which helps, I find sight reading music notation with a mix of 1/16ths, 1/8ths etc and rests of various lengths in each bar, very tricky. Slowing down the tempo, as you’ve said helps, but I still find it hard to play the correct rhythm while trying to keep count. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I’ve just subscribed, so apologies if you’ve already covered this topic.

[@steveinfinityandbeyond]

I struggle with this too. I've previously been advised to take it in chunks, one bar at a time (or even less). Only move on when you've got it.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thanks for the comment and for subscribing! Yep- that’s one of the biggest challenges when it comes to rhythm. With rhythm, always start without the bass, by clapping or singing the rhythms first. Only when you're comfortable with that, doing so excruciatingly slowly of course, should you pick up the bass and play.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thanks for the comment! As I said below, clap and sing the rhythms first

[@s.e.o.r5993]

I like to write the beats of the bar with little lines over hard rhythms. This allows me to break down the hard parts into one beat long chunks that I can easily understand on their own. Then you just need to put these parts together. By drawing the beats you also make it easier for yourself to understand the hard parts in the future, not just during that one practice session

[@iperaghia]

i need to work everything, agility, armony knowledge,reading,changes over the chords,slap,but the real problem is to stay focused during practice,for almost an hour, i get tired very soon.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Take one thing at a time - try focusing on only one of those things for a 5-7 day period. I hear you with the focus. Try practicing in "bursts" of 25 minutes. The Pomodoro Method is fantastic for this: kzbin.infojUzeNOTSV9A?si=_xpS22AwNZlMRMkn

[@iperaghia]

@@LorinCohenBassist Thank you Lorin, I will try the pomodoro method, by the way pomodoro is an Italian word meaning tomato :)

[@westanney1712]

I need to work on reading and trranscribing

[@LorinCohenBassist]

@@westanney1712 thx for the comment! Just start reading anything you can get your hands on. If you’re new to transcribing just start - that’s the hardest part. Once you get going you’ll find yourself wanting to do more and more

[@westanney1712]

@@LorinCohenBassist Thank you!

[@almendratlilkouatl]

I practice stamina with the right hand, skipping strings, then donna lee, then reincarnation of a lovebird, then that line on minute seven of mingus' the clown, then whatever

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@almendratlilkouatl]

​I also don't practice Donna Lee shuffling the notes, it sounds bad for me, I prefer picking every note evenly​, even eights sound more swingy to me than shuffled @@LorinCohenBassist

[@HerbertHarris-l1p]

Comments ,I cannot play with first and second finger , always play with my index finger please help

[@TedTalksBass]

Ain't it funny how momma's ALWAYS know? They always know!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Yes indeed!!

[@michaelanthony9068]

Reading rests! (Rhythms)

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Attack that weakness first this week!

[@son0fsocal]

Great Advise , Practice SLOW! You can’t run until you walk!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Yes! Thank you!

[@izethewise]

I'm bad at all the things you mention 😅

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Ok just tackle one thing this week- take one of your biggest weaknesses and just focus on that

[@dinkybaldwin9730]

slow is fast is a thing my bass teacheralways told me................

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@piaten]

3 minutes of quite useful advice, 6 minutes of bass tuition advertisment.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

How so?

[@piaten]

@@LorinCohenBassist Your tips are pretty good, even useful to me, even though I'm not a rookie anymore, so kudos for that! Points of improvement: Get to the point! And stay on it without trying to sell your course every other sentence. In the world where we're getting bombarded with ads, infomercials and spam every time we get on a screen, I find my patience with it gets lesser by the month, your hooks were just barely good enough to keep me watching till the end (And I'm glad for it!), but I doubt they will be forever.

[@Modulus96]

I didn't hear a single advertisement.

[@cbolt4492]

1:50 painfully slow...

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@precisionhoops365]

Flying pinky

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@paulsav40]

`excruciatingly slow` repeated way to often -irritating!!!

[@LorinCohenBassist]

👍

[@geoffstokes]

That's the point lol

[@mikegeld1280]

Ur not using a 4 string, I cant relate ,smh ,this is automatic 👎 for poorly done content,btw just holding ur bass,not playing ,and just talking for 10 min is not that cool,this is one of the worst content videos out here ,fullstop

[@LorinCohenBassist]

Thx for watching anyway!

[@MrMelvinSchlock]

I’m not sure if I understand the comment. I know the list of musicians most likely to have a mental illness starts with (most likely): 1) banjo, 2) harmonica, 3) bass, 4) drums, 5) accordion. So it’s 3rd on the list and that might explain the comment. By the way, banjo shares #1 with vocalists.

[@LorinCohenBassist]

@ 😂😂👍👍

[@mikegeld1280]

@MrMelvinSchlock whatever makes YOU feel better, still doesn't change how poorly done ur video is,(at least that particular one IMO),btw ur probably not cut out for this content making thing ,being over sensitive about constructive criticism,maybe if you were more open minded you can improve on future work,heres tip #1,If ur gonna offer tips on bass stuff you should probably use a traditional standard 4 string, 😏 js.

[@MrMelvinSchlock]

@@mikegeld1280 I didn’t do the video and have yet to do any. However, can you send me a link to some of yours? If I ever start creating videos I want to first learn from the master.